VFB image is different than the saved one

[FilippObada]

Hi guys!
My saved image (any format, including exr 32bit) is different from what I see in the VFB. On the left is the saved image vs the VFB.
Somebody knows what could it be?

[glorybound]

Maybe it is the software you are opening it in?

[FilippObada]

Im opening in Photoshop and also windows image viewer. The thing, those two work normally with the images and it worked normally with 3ds max 2022. I think the issue appeared when I installed max 2025 (tomorrow I will test with max 2022), but Im not sure. Also Im using lightmix and composite in VFB. In the past I had serious problems with color profiles (images when saved where even more different than in this case) because of my Spyder monitor calibrator, but now its not involved anymore because I have an Eizo that self-calibrates, and everything worked normally up until recently.

[hermit.crab]

If you're outputting through the VFB or the V-Ray settings, make sure the "Render Output Defaults" (Rendering>Color Management Settings) conversion mode is set to "No Conversion".

[^Lele^]

EDIT: in fact, all i did was prove you right, FilippObada : if you look at my VFB image, the gray plane is picked at 0.516, in nuke, picked by accident, 0.485, nearly 8 points of integer difference.
We're investigating this.

The only way to get correspondence with non OCIO-managed software in max 2025 is to revert to the gamma workflow (which is not the default max 2025 comes with) in the color management settings, under the render menu.



In the VFB, set the display correction once again to sRGB, away from OCIO/ACEScg.



This is what i get (left VFB as rendered, right the saved PNG loaded in Chaos Player)
or in nuke (notice the loader parameters and postage stamp look.) again under sRGB

[FilippObada]

Thank you everyone for your attention guys. Actually my max was already in gamma workflow. The screenshot I attached is self-explanatory.

Edit: Did a test in Max 2022. The image is different in the frame buffer than what I was seing in Max 2025. The saved image is different from the VFB and also from the one saved from the Max 2025 :O

[FilippObada]

Just did another test.
In Max 2025, with a test scene it saves correctly in OCIO mode with No Conversion but the problem persists in Gamma mode. Unfortunately I dont know why this is not the case with the work file. The same Max 2025, the same OCIO with No Conversion as in the test file where it worked, and the saved image is different in this case. I messed this one up quite a lot XD

[FilippObada]

Ok, the problem seems to be the files that come from max 2022 to max 2025. In 2025 the image is different. In this case, I started to work in 3ds max 2022 + Vantage. Then I continued to work in max 2025 + v-ray. When I migrated to max 2025 the image was probably different, but its always diferent when you go from Vantage to V-Ray, so I didnt noticed, and then all that started when I tried to save the final image. As I learned and showed above, in order for the saved image to be the same as VFB, the color management should be in OCIO with No Conversion in max 2025, but when any file is opened in max 2025 from (at least) max 2022 by default it comes in Gamma mode. I didnt know, so I adjusted the image for the Gamma mode and when I tried to save I understood that something is not right. Now the problem is that if I save this image from Max 2025 I have to compensate in Photoshop the difference. If I want to open it again in Max 2022, probably because I worked on it in VFB compositing it looks different in 2022 than it was in 2025 (even in the frame buffer, as shown above). So at least I understood what is happening but for this file in particular I think I will just have to save from max 2025 in Gamma mode, which is where I have the adjusted image and then compensate in Photoshop. Or I can make screen shots and then make a collage in photoshop, which is a bit ridiculous, but also an option hahaha.
I hope this explanation was not too confusing.